Hiding Out!!!

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YES!!! WE'RE STILL HERE. The last month or so, we have been very busy. Kristin has returned to work after a wonderful 3 1/2 month maternity leave. I am so glad that I could only take one class this summer. It gave KK and I a lot of time together with our little Ava. (Not so little anymore) She had her 4 month checkup and is 97th percentile in length and 83rd in weight. We started her on the gloppy baby rice cereal and she is so fun to play with. We had my first Fathers Day and KK gave me U of U Football season tickets. GO UTES!!!!!! Being a new father, everything has more meaning and I hope every one's Father's Day was as special as mine.
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Here's my little family on Father's Day. I have by far, the two cutest girls to hold and make me a proud father.
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My dad Richard, just turned 70. He loves his 14 grandchildren, especially Ava.
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For my dad's birthday, the whole family was in town for the 4th of July. We through a huge party where 100 of my dad's family and friends came. Ava was a big hit.
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MMMM!!! Ava loves rice. Open wide.
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Maybe love isn't the word for it. "Dad, what else ya got for me." She always makes a big sticky mess.
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A quick bath in the sink and she is ready for more fun.
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See ya later!!

MY FIRST LITTLE PONY!!!!!

Our little girl has a big girl hair style here thanks to her mom. Along with the rest of her body, the red hair seems to be growing at an alarming rate. Ava is starting to act older to. She likes to grab at things and guide them to her mouth. She enjoys time by herself under a jungle gym with dolls and toys hanging down to hit. She loves to make funny sounds and is starting to understand a few gestures when it comes to feeding time. She likes to try and roll over and got her first major battle scare. The more she starts to show her own look, Kristin and I have debates on what features came from which parent.
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Looking at this picture, you can see my eyes are hazel and her blue eyes are not from me.
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Moms eyes are brown but her nose and lips are most definitely a match.
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She leans her head, lifts her arm, kicks her leg, and with a couple of grunts....
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TA DA!!! Role over. and for my next trick...somersaults.
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These pictures show her first real "OUWEEE". Puppy Philly just wanted to play. Luckily she healed up just fine.

3 Month Picture Time!!!!

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Ava Lolabelle is 3 months (12 weeks) now and we had her pictures taken again. She was so good the last time we were sure this time would be the same. Well, it wasn't. She was so funny!!!! Lola was more fascinated by what was going on around her and didn't give the photographer any attention. Even though she smiles all the time at home, she didn't have one for us this day. We did however get a lot of "Personality" pictures that we love none the less.

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This look says "Lady, if you make that beeping sound one more time!!!"

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Kristin and I picked out this outfit specifically for this shoot. She needs to work on her tan line.

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This picture is our favorite of the bunch. For this pose I got her attention behind whatever the photographer was doing.

TWO MONTHS+ 12 POUNDS+ AND STILL GROWING!!!

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Our little girl Ava isn't so little anymore. The last check-up she was doing great at about 75th percentile in weight and head size, and she was 93rd percentile in length. She is a great sleeper and loves any attention she can get from her mom and dad. We packed up half of her nursery and went to Las Vegas this month. We spent time with her cousins Maxwell and Sophia. Ava traveled well and we only had to pull over on the freeway once for emergency blow-out.(not of the tire kind!!)

After her trip to and from Vegas, Ava Lolabelle started to tolerate her carseat. Before we couldn't get more than 10 minutes or so.

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Here is Ava wishing me a happy 30th Birthday. I was felling pretty old and she cheered me up!

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Here's a good example of how big my girl is getting. She still loves bathtime!!

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Her cousin Max was really excited to see Baby Ava again. The first time they meet she was only minutes old and they had to go.

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Sophie was really cute in here with her cousin.

She called her "BABY AVA, BABY LOLA"

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Peace out!!!

GETTIN STRONGER!!!!

No it's not just lyrics from the popular work out scenes in Rocky movies anymore. It's Ava Lolabelle theme song since the last posting. She is doing SO MUCH BETTER now that she has KO'ed the RSV in the 12th round. Sure RSV put up a good fight but it was no match for Lola's fierce lung strength and her high endurance for that nose bulb sucking thingy. Now that her professional illness fighting record is 2-0 (counting the first round tko with johndus) her training regiment has increased to ready her for the next bout.

As you can see from this picture she needed a lot of support to hold her head up.

A few hundred pull-ups with mom.

BLAM!!! Look out runny nose!!!!

Here you can see the weight of her giant cheeks are holding the corners of her mouth down..

A funny sound from mom......

A lot of cute pink outfits...............

BIFFF!!!!! We'll give colick something to cry about.

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We are even working on deepening her blue eyes for the stare down at the beginning of the fight......

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"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT HUH"

This look says"You better run" diarrhea.

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I know all you blog viewers are thinking to yourself that this is to much training for a 6 week old. Before you call DCFS on us don't worry, she still has PLENTY of time to rest.

Quarantined!!!!!!

Sad Ava with red eyes, cough, and tons of secretions!






Mom dressed me up for a photo shot!

Daddy dressed me up & feeling better today!














Last week Ava was diagnosied with RSV........ an acronym for an Adult cold in a baby. Of course I have spent the last week suctioning, giving breathing treatments, counting respirations, giving chest physiotherapy...and crying. I am sure that we have spent the last 4 weeks indoors, washing hands with saintizer and sick vistiors wearing masks...and still Ava & I get sick. She is doing much better this week but still has a man-sized cough in her tiny body :( My PED said Ava could not ask for a better mom to take care of her right now....I said I do not want to be that kind of mom!
She is still happy as ever with a new trick of smiling when she is talked to & a big frown when she is sad! Thanks for all the calls of concern...it seems when Ava does have a visitor about 3 days later they are sick too.....Ava "vector" Kristensen. We miss seeing all the grandparents! My mom came by last Friday...not as a Grandma but a serious medical visit (G-Ma is a PED nurse practitioner) to assess Ava's clinical status...by sunday my mom has the same cough as Ava...watch out!

HAPPY EASTER!!!!!

Ava Lolabelle's first holiday. The last few weeks we have enjoyed visits from friends and family from near and far. We made our first of probably thousands of trips to the Uinta Basin to see KK's family. To date this is the farthest away from home Lola has been. We have enjoyed the four B's of parenthood: breastfeeding, burping, bathing, and butt-wiping. Who would have thought these simple human functions would be so satisfying. Lola was so happy to see everyone and we really appreciate those who traveled so far to enjoy time with our little family.




Here Ava is enjoying a swaddle bath. This is a technique KK showed me from work. You use a blanket to keep her warm while washing portions of her body at a time. SHE LOVES IT!!!



















"MOMMY!!! I just finished with my facial and you are greasing me up with your lip gloss again!!!!"














Here's Ava with her Grandma Ruth. We stayed with her in Roosevelt for a few days before Easter. Ruth got a lot of quality snugglin/nappin time with her great granddaughter.
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It is easy to see that Aunt Marie is much more exited about birth of her niece than she was with me. She was trying to smile but I was the 7th boy and she still didn't have a little sister.

"See you guys next time"